The growth of multiple wildfires in Southern Oregon led to evacuation orders in three areas Wednesday night.

The Grants Pass, Applegate Valley and Wimer areas were each threatened by a wildfire dangerous enough to prompt officials to prepare or require locals to leave their homes.

(See full details on the evacuation orders below).

There are more than 100 wildfires burning across Southern Oregon, most of them sparked by a lightning storm last Sunday.

Triple digit heat and gusty winds have exacerbated the problem in a number of areas, spreading fire teams thin as they fight blazes from near Crater Lake to the Southern Oregon Coast.

The impact could be seen Wednesday night, as Medford's air quality dropped to "unhealthy" while Ashland and Cave Junction saw "moderate" air quality.

This image, from the smoke blog page operated by the Oregon Department of Forestry, shows air quality deteriorating in Southern Oregon.(Photo: ODF)

The most pressing concerns, at least as of Wednesday evening included:

The Hendrix Fire, located southwest of Ashland, grew large enough to bring evacuations in the Applegate Valley, including the small town of Ruch. It was 550 acres in the last update, but likely has grown.

The Taylor Creek Fire, which is part of the Garner Complex, brought evacuations to areas west of Grants Pass.

Finally, the Pleasant Creek Fire grew large enough to spur evacuation notices north of Wimer, which is around 17 miles north of Rogue River and Interstate-5.

Evacuation information for Grants Pass area

Areas west of Grants Pass are now under a Level 2 "Be Set" evacuation warning, the Josephine County Sheriff's Office announced.

The evacuations are due to the Taylor Creek Fire, which is part of the Garner Complex.

That warning affects the following roads:

- Pickett Creek Road

- West Pickett Creek Road

- Green Tree Loop

- Bickford Drive

- Sanders Creek

- Paradise Garden Road

- Sallsten Road

- Hussey Lane

- Steelhead Lane

- Cliffside Drive

- Bartlett Lane

"This level indicates there is significant danger to your area, and residents should either voluntarily relocate to a shelter or with family/friends outside of the affected area, or if choosing to remain, be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice," the Sheriff's office said in a news release.

Evacuation details for Applegate Valley / Ruch area

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation notices to 35 addresses due to the Hendrix Fire near Hells Peak, southeast of Ruch in the Applegate Valley.

The fire, located southwest of Ashland, was listed as 550 acres earlier today but appears to have grown.

For a map of the evacuation area, go here. For more information on the fire, go here.

Evacuation information for Wimer area

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office has issued evacuation notices to 58 addresses north of Wimer due to a fire in the Garner Complex, north of Rogue River.

The evacuation is level 2 — which means "get ready to go at a moment's notice" — and it impacts homes on Pleasant Creek Road.

JCSO deputies and search and rescue personnel will conduct door-to-door notifications to provide information, officials said in a news release.

Jackson County Emergency Management will send a notification to affected addresses using the Citizen Alert system.

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ORIGINAL STORY - WEDNESDAY MORNING

There has been smoke rising from just about every corner of Southern Oregon this week.

A wildfire roared into the city center of Central Point Tuesday afternoon while a number of wildland blazes grew in size and strength.

There are around 160 confirmed wildfires from Roseburg to the south, according federal and state agencies.

Most of the fires remain small, but a few are growing, fueled by hot and dry weather.

"We've got triple-digit temperatures and big gusts of wind, both in the valleys and on the ridges," Oregon Department of Forestry spokeswoman Melissa Cano said. "It has really tested our fire lines. But at least for now, we don't have any major blow-ups, which is good news.

"People who've worked fires in this area for 30 years have said they can't remember a season that started this intensely, this early in the year."

The scariest moment Tuesday occurred when a grass fire roared into Central Point, closing roads and causing evacuations in a 2-mile radius in a city center.

At the same time, wildland fires sparked by a lightning storm last Sunday continued to grow, with visible smoke columns in towns around Grants Pass and Ashland.

Here’s where the fires are burning:

- 75 fires burning on county, state and private land in Jackson and Josephine counties, which is protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry.

- Between 50 and 60 fires burning in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, a large area from Prospect to Gold Beach.

- 25 wildfires burning in the Umpqua National Forest east of Roseburg.

Penninger Fire

The fire in Central Point, known as the Penninger Fire, grew to 97 acres before being knocked down and contained by firefighters.

The fire started near the Jackson County Expo and spread rapidly over dry grass, causing widespread evacuations, including at Costco. It burned five outbuildings and three homes.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Hendrix Fire

The wildfire burning 8 miles southwest of Ashland, in the Little Applegate River area, grew to 550 acres Wednesday morning after putting up major smoke columns.

There is no immediate danger to any homes or hiking trails, but the fire is expected to grow. Firefighters are engaged and helicopters are making water bucket drops on the fire, Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest officials said.

There will be a Hendrix Fire Community Meeting tonight, July 18, at 7 p.m. at the Ruch Community Bible church, 190 Upper Applegate Road, Jacksonville, OR 97530.

The acreage for the Hendrix Fire has been updated to 550 acres, based on a infrared heat detecting flight last night. Resources are continuing to arrive and firefighters are evaluating options and attacking the fire directly where they can do so safely. pic.twitter.com/xJGaPZFeT3

Garner Complex in Josephine County

The most serious of the group includes the Spencer Creek, Grave Creek and Pleasant Creek fires.

"The plan is to fully contain the smaller fires, construct fireline around the larger ones, while continually looking for new unaccounted for fires," ODF officials said in a Wednesday morning report.

Spencer Creek Fires

There are three fires burning in this complex, located about 12 miles south of Grants Pass and 4 miles from Williams.

The three fires total 260 acres, up from 106 acres Tuesday morning.

The fires are quite visible from the Illinois Valley, but fireteams are "aggressively fighting it with ground and air assets," Cano said.

No evacuations were listed in the report from ODF.

Grave Creek Fires

This collection of nine fires grew to 700 acres Tuesday, up from an estimated 115 acres earlier in the morning.

The fires are visible from Wimer, around 17 miles north of Rogue River and I-5.

The two largest fires in the complex are each 200 acres, officials said. One of those larger fires apparently is the Pleasant Creek Fire, although it was unclear based on a video from new incident command today.

"The objectives today for the Grave Creek branch will be to keep the fires east of Grave Creek, north of Pease Springs and Buck Springs," said ODF officials in a Wednesday morning report.

Natchez Fires

There are around seven wildfires included in the Natchez Complex. Five of them are located on the Oregon and California border near the village of Takilma, outside Cave Junction.

Two more blazes, the Klondike and Granite fires, are in the northeast corner of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, west of Cave Junction.

The Klondike fire is estimated at 100 acres, while the Granite Fire is around 30 acres, reports show.

“These fires are burning in steep and rugged terrain, with thick brush and dense canopies,” Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest said in a news release. “Weather trends have generated dry conditions that are receptive to ignitions.”

Wagner Creek Complex in Jackson County

This complex includes around 12 fires in Jackson County. They are also being managed by ODF.

Trail Creek and Elk Creek fires: Multiple fires are burning 5.5 miles north to northwest of Shady Cove. There are approximately 12 confirmed fires. The largest fire is 13 acres and 70 percent contained.

"This one is probably the most challenging in this area just because there's so many fires," Cano said.

Green Top Mountain: 5 miles northeast of Eagle Point. Still holding at 125 acres. Firefighters completed the control line around the perimeter of the fire last night. Containment is now at 55 percent. No structures are threatened.

Sterling Creek: 7 miles south of Jacksonville. The fire is 32 acres and 40 percent contained. No structures threatened.

No evacuations currently in place.

Umpqua National Forest

There are 25 confirmed fires reported in the Umpqua National Forest east of Roseburg.

Twenty-one fires are burning in the Tiller area, east of Canyonville and I-5.

South Umpqua Complex

The South Umpqua Complex includes six fires, but there are probably more, officials said. The largest of the group is around 100 acres.

“There’s was a lot of activity in the afternoon,” public information officer Emily Veale Really said. “The complex is being turned over to a new incident management team tomorrow.”

Smaller fires in the Rogue Valley

Swamp Creek: 16 miles north of Rogue River. Estimated at 5 acres. The fire is 50 percent contained. No structures threatened.

Little Grayback: 8 miles east of Cave Junction. Holding at 2 acres and 40 percent contained. Smoke will continue to be present as crews work on additional suppression efforts. No structures are threatened.

Fielder: North of milepost 53 on Interstate 5. Approximately 7 acres. Firefighters strengthened and secured the perimeter last night, and will be mopping up today. No structures threatened.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors writer, photographer and videographer in Oregon for 10 years. He is the author of the book “Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon” and “Hiking Southern Oregon.” He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.